Information technology for exposing
unethical supplier behavior. Recognizing
information access as an
important first step to creating public
exposure, voluntary groups of activists
and NGOs are using the Internet
to provide more timely and accurate
information about food safety issues
in China. In 2012, a group of Chinese
volunteers developed websites (http://
www.zccw.info), and smartphone apps
(http://tinyurl.com/72orssq) to report
the latest Chinese food safety scandals
(location, food categories, safety issues,
vendor identity, supplier identity,
and so forth). By providing fast and accurate
information about food safety
issues on a single website or an app,
public exposure creates incentives for
vendors to be more vigilant and suppliers
to think twice before committing
product adulteration. Pushing this line
of thinking further, manufacturers
may consider partnering with NGOs to
expose the identity of unethical suppliers
who produce adulterated products
on the Internet and mobile phone apps
to create the threat of public humiliation
for suppliers who produce adulterated
products.2